Thank you for hosting a Simmons student, or your interest in doing so! We are so appreciative of your commitment to supporting and mentoring the future of our libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions.
Please use the drop-down menu above or the following links to learn more about the two SLIS courses that include curricular field experiences: LIS 438 (Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice, 60 hours) and LIS 512 (Advanced Field Experience in LIS, 130 hours). You’ll find information about placements, projects, evaluations, and course snapshots for both our introductory archives course and advanced LIS field experience course.
Your Role and Responsibilities
As a supervisor, you will act as mentor and field instructor. We expect that you will be available to students for questions, guidance, and casual conversation about the profession and your work. Supervisors will also be asked to complete two (2) student evaluations (midpoint and final) which are considered by course instructors in the student’s final course grade.
Generally, the first several days require more of your time to orient the student to both the site and the project(s) you have designed. After initial training and introductions, the student often works more independently. You are free to establish schedules and meetings with the student as you see appropriate, as long as the required hours are completed within the given semester’s time frame.
We do not require compensation for curricular field experiences. However, if you have the funds to compensate a student, or your institution requires compensation, we prefer compensation to be distributed in the form of a stipend if possible.
Project Design and Submission
Using the design parameters discussed on the introductory and advanced field experience pages, you will submit projects into our field experience management system. SLIS faculty will then match enrolled students to projects that are the best match for both sites and students.
Because placement is enrollment dependent, we cannot guarantee that all sites that submit projects will receive a student for a given semester.
The system will ask you for information such as:
the name of your institution;
the name and contact information of the supervisor;
the semester, days, and times that this project is available;
a description of the project and its products ( or “deliverables,” such as a finding aid);
and the level for the field experience (LIS 438 for introductory, or LIS 512 for advanced).
Instructions
In order to link the student to the project, you will need to create an account in our Field eXperience Management System (FXMS). If you have hosted for us before, you may have used our IMSA or IMSL system, but those have now merged (and been improved upon) as FXMS.
Once on the FXMS homepage, click “Log In” at the top right of the page. Then, navigate to the second tab titled “Create new account.” Provide your email address and create a unique user name before clicking “Create new account” at the bottom of the screen. FXMS sends an email to the Manager of Curricular Field Experiences when a new account is created and they will need to verify your account before you move on.
Complete your Site Profile
Once your account has been verified, please complete your site profile by clicking on the “Site Information” tab. Complete all required fields and save. (Note: if one of your colleagues has hosted for us before, your site profile may already exist. If so, you can link yourself to that site in the system.)
Submit a Project Description
Then, you can create a project by clicking into the ‘Project Submissions’ tab at the top of the screen. You will then fill out the form to submit your project. If possible, a student will be linked to the submitted project. The student will be instructed to reach out to you directly to introduce themselves and establish their schedule.
Overview
Create your account in FXMS. Remember to save your credentials for future access.
Complete your site profile (this is information about your institution). Once created, you or other future supervisors will be able to use this profile for your institution.
Create a project and submit.
Get In Touch
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us. You can also check out our FAQs page for some answers to commonly asked questions. We will update this page as often as necessary, incorporating new questions and answers as they come to our attention. Be sure to check back regularly for new information!
